


scent of burnt sugar (on your skin)

by nuageuse (ensoleillee)



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Alien Biology, Aphrodisiacs, Cardassian Anatomy, M/M, Sex Pollen, no beta we die like men, simple dinner gone sexual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:55:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23215138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ensoleillee/pseuds/nuageuse
Summary: “Dear Julian, are you familiar with aphrodisiacs?”
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Elim Garak
Comments: 8
Kudos: 143
Collections: Sex Pollen Galore





	scent of burnt sugar (on your skin)

**Author's Note:**

> i swear i don't only write smut.…
> 
> i'm in the middle of rewatching ds9 and i'm fully back in my garashir feels! they!!
> 
> inspiration for the cardassian anatomy taken from [Speculative Cardassian Reproductive Xenobiology by tinsnip](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1719479) you're a legend <3

If someone had told Julian on his first day on DS9 that he’d be here in two years, he would have straight-up laughed into their face. However, no one can blame him. Picking up flowers for Garak, the Cardassian _spy_ , while he was on his way to said ~~spy’s~~ tailor’s quarters for dinner.

He had mentioned the upcoming date, yes, a date, to Miles that day, and his frustration of not being able to find a proper present for the occasion. But really, Julian found it wasn’t his fault that he seemed incapable of coming up with something because he knew he was attentive and picked up things not everyone did. It was Garak’s fault for insisting he didn’t need anything. Seriously, who turns down gifts?

Anyways, Miles. He had taken pity on the poor Doctor and had suggested him coming to his shared quarters with Keiko just before he’d go visit Garak. She had recently come back from a trip to Bajor and had brought tons of plants and flowers with her to examine. Miles had said their whole quarters smelled like a field of flowers because even the filter systems had problems naturalising the scent. Julian had gladly accepted the offer; the gesture may be a bit too _Terran_ for Garak to appreciate fully, or maybe even _understand_ completely, but he thought this was a good idea to teach Garak something about the customs of his own home. After all, Garak didn’t seem to tire of telling Julian about Cardassia and recommending him Cardassian literature.

Julian stood in front of O’Brien’s quarter’s at 1955 hours and O’Brien let him in with a knowing smile. Julian took a second to realise the reason of it being his unusual clothing; he’d swapped his uniform—which Garak _loathed_ so relentlessly—to a more casual tunic in a deep red with a relatively low-cut V-neck which Julian hoped would get him places tonight. His legs, a constant victim of Garak’s ogling, were clad in a tight pair of trousers of a similar colour. Gladly, Miles didn’t comment on it.

Keiko was inside, looking at him with the same knowing smile, and Julian pointedly ignored it.

“Hello, Julian,” she greeted him. “Miles has already told me why you’re here. If you make sure you don’t take too many flowers, I’m sure no one will realise they’re even missing.” Then she made a gesture around the living room, and yes, Miles hadn’t been exaggerating. “Be my guest.”

Julian walked further into the living room, closely inspecting every object to find just the perfect one for the most important person in his life at the moment. His eyes landed on a bucket of a flower that could be closest described as an orchid as you’d know it from Earth. The outer petals were a soft but enticing shade of grey Julian was more than familiar with, and in the centre, the colour faded to a strong blue. “I think I’ll take this one,” he declared. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”

“Of course it is,” Keiko laughed. She took a few flowers out of the bucket, produced a pair of scissors out of her pocket and cut them to an agreeable length. “Do you want me to add some greens as well?”

“If it’s no trouble to you, yes please!”

Keiko rustled about the room, picking up a few things here and there until she presented Julian the finished bouquet. It was a small one, not overbearing, and Julian found it just perfect.

“Thank you, Keiko, I owe you a favour,” he said as he took the flowers from her hands.

“Oh, don’t mention it, Julian. It’s no problem at all, seeing you two happy together is worth it,” she smiled and gestured him to the door. “Now go and enjoy your night.”

The way to Garak’s quarters was a familiar one. They had often enough relocated their luncheons to one of their respective quarters when their surroundings had gotten too loud and unbearable. They had never done anything more than talking about literature and cultural differences and whatnot, but Julian liked to think Garak was interested in him. They had never openly talked about just _what_ they were, but the growing feelings were mutual, and of that, they were both sure.

If Julian was honest, he was waiting for Garak to make a definite move. He had been flirting with Julian since the first day they had met, and Julian didn’t take Garak for the type to play with one’s feelings and then abandon the other person completely. But Julian was afraid of initiating something, because, frankly, he didn’t want to ruin whatever they had by going too fast. Most of his relationship had ended because he had been recklessly throwing himself into the relationship and giving it his heart and soul after not even close to enough dates. And after all, Garak surely was the one with more experience.

He arrived in front of Garak’s quarters, buzzing. He wasn’t nervous, not at all. He’s met up with Garak plenty of times, and they’ve quite possibly seen each other at their worst. If Garak didn’t have the same feelings Julian had, he very well enjoyed the young Doctor’s presence. He was happy to see Garak again after a week of missed lunch dates, as they both had been too occupied with their respective jobs. Garak had actually been the one to suggest this dinner, saying he’d take care of everything.

Garak opened the doors to his quarters and his ridged face immediately blended into a wide smile as he saw Julian. “My dear Doctor,” he exclaimed and made space for Julian to enter. “How nice to see you.”

“It truly has been a long time,” Julian agreed, not sure if 9 days really counted as a long time, but he wasn’t here to discuss such formalities. “I brought you flowers,” he said and stretched his arms out for Garak to take the bouquet.

“It must be a custom of Humans to bring their dinner hosts such gifts, I assume,” Garak said as he took the flowers and inspected them closely and taking a quick whiff.

“Not exactly,” Julian corrected him and locked their gazes. “It’s a more. . . personal gesture. Say a date with someone close to you,” he explained. Garak smiled at him as if he’d expected the answer and went to look for a vase.

Garak returned and placed the vase on the table that has already been set.

Just now, Julian started to take in his surroundings. The first thing was, unmistakably, the heat in Garak’s quarters. Though he knew for a fact that Garak liked his quarters even warmer than this, and Julian was touched at the thought that Garak had turned it less warm to accommodate Julian’s feelings. The room was also dimly lit, but Julian’s enhanced vision made it uncomplicated to get accustomed to. In the middle, there was the set table and various bowls of food. The tell-tale blue liquid in the spiral bottle had already been poured into two glasses.

“This looks really nice,” Julian commented, stepping closer.

“An adequate dinner for my most loyal customer,” Garak said, with his never-fading smile. “Now, please, take a seat, Doctor.”

Julian did as he was told, and Garak introduced him to the dishes he had prepared. They were all Cardassian dishes Garak had apparently enjoyed before he’d been exiled, and he was certain Julian would find them to his taste as well.

Halfway through their dinner, Julian was just talking to Garak about his reading experience of one of the recommended Enigma Tales, when Garak began squirming in his seat, an expression of distress on his face.

“Is everything alright with you, Garak?” Julian asked. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, no, it’s fine, Julian. Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” the Cardassian assured him.

“I’m a Doctor, so I very well should be concerned with your condition. In fact, I have the impression you haven’t been paying attention to me for the last ten minutes. So tell me, what is wrong?”

Garak opened his mouth, very likely to protest and tell Julian that it was none of his business, but Julian already stood up, rounded the table and took his medical tricorder out of one of the folds in his tunic. He was glad he’d brought it with him.

“Your temperature is running high, you seem to be having a fever,” Julian said as he looked at the collected data. “Don’t tell me when you’re fine when you are clearly not.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, Doctor, Cardassian are typical to have a body temperature higher than the average human’s,” Garak retorted, but his smile didn’t look as careless anymore, it almost seemed like he was experiencing pain.

“I know, Garak, and these figures show you’re way warmer than usual,” Julian said calmly, though he was starting to get frustrated with Garak’s stubbornness.

“Have you been keeping a record, my dear Doctor?”

“Garak, _what is wrong_ ?” Julian pressed out between clenched teeth.

Garak let out a sigh which Julian interpreted as his surrender. “Something seems to be having an unexpected _effect_ on me, though I’m not quite sure—oh, but _of course._ ” His eyes landed on the foreign flowers on the table. “Dear Julian, are you familiar with aphrodisiacs?”

Julian made a perplexed face. “I’m a Doctor, of course, I—wait. You mean. . .” He trailed off and made a wage gesture with his hands.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. It seems to leave some species unaffected, as you show no sign of circumscription whatsoever.”

Julian knows he should show some responsibility in a situation which had been evidently caused by him, that he should dispose of the flowers and leave Garak to take matters into his own hands (pun intended). But this was his chance, and he wouldn’t at least try to take it.

“I could help you with your. . .problem, you know,” he suggested, giving a flirtatious flutter of his eyelashes for good measure.

“Doctor, this really is not the right time to make jokes. If you will excuse me, I would like to tend to this problem myself. I’m dearly sorry I have to cut our dinner short, as I was looking forward to catching up with you after so long.” Julian noticed Garak was having more troubles articulating himself, his voice was strained and he had to close his eyes for a moment to ground himself.

“But Garak, _I want to_ ,” Julian insisted.

“I appreciate the offer, but you do not have to play good Doctor, right now. Just, _please,_ leave me alone.”

“I’m not suggesting this because I’m the CMO. I’m suggesting it because I want to. I want _you.”_

For the first time, Julian saw Garak utterly perplexed and speechless. “Julian—”

“Garak, I’m serious.”

“No, you can’t be. The flowers must affect you, after all, as well. Or maybe the food you had did not agree with you. The Kanar! That must be it. You’ve had had plenty tonight; you’re clearly intoxicated, and you don’t know what you’re saying.”

Julian rolled his eyes, and he grabbed Garak’s shoulders to stare right into his eyes, the touch eliciting a suppressed sigh from the other. He noticed how the Cardassian’s usually clear blue eyes had almost turned entirely dark with arousal. “Garak, I know you want this as much as I do, so don’t restrain yourself. Stop fighting and let yourself _enjoy_ it.”

Garak contemplated the words for a moment before Julian found himself hauled into the other male’s lap and his mouth was devoured by a lustful Cardassian.

Julian moaned at the contact, groaned even louder when Garak’s tongue invaded his mouth. He cupped the ridged face of his lover and deepened the kiss. Garak’s hands couldn’t seem to stay at a single place, roaming over Julian’s entire torso, trying to get under the fabric of Julian’s tunic to initiate the skin-on-skin contact. Garak’s fingers were almost hot against Julian’s skin which was just beginning to heat up, and they left a trail of goosebumps on their exploring trail.

Julian knew he wasn’t a teenager anymore, so the time it took him to get hard should have been alarming, but Julian had other things to focus on at the moment. For example, the way Garak was kissing and biting down his neck, leaving marks undoubtedly against his sweaty skin. He threw his head back, baring more skin for Garak to claim, and his own hands come to rest on Garak’s neck ridges. Garak flinched.

“Did I hurt you?” Julian asked with wide eyes, panting, and he pulled his hands away as if he’d been burned.

“Quite the contrary. You see, the neck of a Cardassian is very. . .sensitive.”

“You mean, it is an erogenous zone?” Julian asked further, looking over the darkening scales with fascination.

“Precisely,” Garak agreed. He pressed a few more kisses into Julian’s golden, willing skin before he continued. “You are very welcome to stimulate them more if you are willing to do so.”

He didn’t have to tell Julian twice.

This time with precaution, Julian trailed his fingertips over the scales. “If anything hurts, please tell me.”

“Oh, I believe it won’t come to that.”

They made out like that for a while; Julian caressing Garak’s neck with his delicate, skilled fingers and his kiss-reddened mouth, while Garak didn’t seem to get enough from practically devouring Julian’s neck. Julian was way too turned on to stop him.

As if on instinct, Julian began grinding his hips against Garak’s front, trying to relieve the pressure on aching erection.

“You’ve already everted?” Garak asked with a smirk as he realised Julian’s movements.

Before Julian could ask what Garak was on about, he was cut off by his own moan when Garak sneaked a hand between them, cupping Julian through his trousers. “I suggest we take this to your bed,” the Cardassian said, and Julian praised himself for the breathlessness in his voice.

Julian nodded and unwillingly climbed out of the comfortable warmth that was Garak’s lap. He made his way to Garak’s bedroom, but before Julian could do anything, he was pressed against the wall. Garak was once again all over Julian’s neck and upper chest, and the Doctor had to praise himself for choosing this particular outfit for the night.

“Why are you so obsessed with my neck?” Julian asked with a laugh.

“Must be a Cardassian thing,” Garak replied curtly, seemingly not up to discuss his own people’s sexuality with Julian. Julian found it made sense, though, Garak’s obsession with this particular part of his body, as it seemed to play an important role in the Cardassian sex life. And he was really beginning to see the appeal.

“Garak. Bed,” Julian reminded him after Garak made no signs of moving their position in the nearer future.

Garak grumbled something that Julian couldn’t make out but he complied. He undressed Julian in record time, as was to be expected from a tailor, and his clothes followed shortly after.

What Julian was presented with now, made him realise just how different their species were. Where Julian would have expected to find something similar to a dick, there was just a scaly slit, glistening with an unknown substance, and the scales had darkened similarly to the scales on Garak’s neck.

Garak undoubtedly realised the curious look, but Julian understood that he was still too high on flower to give Julian the rundown of Cardassian reproductive anatomy. Julian simply had to see as he’d go.

Garak was back on him in an instant, caging Julian in with his body heat and strong arms. This new position and lack of clothing between them gave Julian the possibility to explore Garak’s foreign body. His middle was practically scale-less, and it almost looked unprotected and vulnerable. Garak shuddered all over when Julian caressed the defenceless skin, and his scales rattled with arousal.

Where humans often possessed a happy trail, Garak sported a spoon, a deep blue one, just like the one on his forehead. Garak buried his face in the crook of Julian’s neck when the latter gently pressed down on it.

Julian was mesmerised by how such simple touches could turn the usually reserved and defensive Garak into a writhing mess above him, silently asking for more.

They reversed positions so that Julian was now sitting on Garak’s legs. He inched down until he was on eye level with whatever was between Garak’s legs.

“It’s called _ajan_ ,” Garak helpfully supplied. “My _prUt_ is inverted, as you can see, but I can let it evert if I feel the desire to.”

Julian let the new words roll off his tongue. “So, the _prUt_ is comparable to the human penis?”

“I believe you can say so, yes.”

“And it’s in your _ajan_ the entire time?”

“If I don’t feel like having it evert, yes, it is.”

“Incredible,” Julian whispered against the glistening _ajan_. Then, without warning, he darted his tongue out and licked an experimental lap against the dark scales. Garak hissed and his scales rattled some more. “Not good?” Julian asked teasingly.

Garak did not dignify him with a response, but threaded his hands into Julian dishevelled hair and pressed him down onto his groin.

Julian began lapping against the pulsating slit, drinking up the moisture, which had a musky but not unwelcome taste. Occasionally, he let his tongue dip further, into the slit, and Garak’s hips bucked involuntarily. Greedily, Julian licked up everything Garak had to give him.

Before Julian could fully start enjoying himself, Garak pulled him off. The Doctor’s face was practically dripping with Garak’s juices, his hair a mess, and his own _prUt_ was leaking against his abdomen. Garak mumbled something about obscenity under his breath.

Julian opened his mouth to ask what’s wrong, but then his eyes dropped back to Garak’s lap, and he saw the Cardassian had everted. Without any further words, Julian went back to town, taking Garak’s _prUt_ all the way down, massaging the scales with his tongue.

Julian knew it had to do with the aphrodisiacs, but he still patted himself on the shoulder when Garak didn’t take long to come down his throat. His semen tasted similar to the lubricant on his _ajan_ and Julian happily swallowed. Garak looked at him as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, but Julian also didn’t miss the hint of a smile on his lips.

Garak returned the favour, taking Julian into his hand and making him come quicker than Julian had anticipated.

Julian was glad the aphrodisiacs were rather harmless, and Garak wasn’t up for another round. Not yet at least. Garak very much looked like the type who could keep going for hours. Julian hoped he’d live to experience that.

**(###)**

After Julian had replicated a wet towel to wipe them down and had also gotten rid of the flowers, he settled back into bed with Garak. The Cardassian looked more at peace now, relaxed, and his charming smile has returned as well.

“What an unexpected turn of events,” Julian mused, sipping on his Tarkalean tea.

Garak shot him an unconvinced look.

“What?” Julian asked.

“Was it really that unexpected?” Garak countered. “I have a lot of reasons to believe you knew what kind of effect the flowers would have on the unknowing Cardassian. Why else would you have brought them?”

Julian made an offended noise and almost spilt his tea on Garak’s sheets. “Garak!” he exclaimed. “I’ve already told you, it’s customary on Earth to bring flowers to your dates. You could say it’s a way of courting. But I promise you, I had no idea, they’d evoke such behaviour from you. It’s not like you’re so willing to share facts of your species with me.”

“I will believe you for the time being. But this discussion is not over,” Garak declared, but Julian knew he wasn’t half as serious as he claimed to be. “Do you mind me asking where you got them from?”

“Keiko, Chief O’Brien’s wife, brought them on DS9 from an expedition on Bajor, and I was allowed to choose some for you,” the Doctor explained.

“From Bajor?” Garak laughed.

Julian frowned. “What’s so funny about that?”

“I was just wondering what would have happened when the Bajorans had found out about the effects during the Occupation,” Garak explained himself.

Now Julian had to chuckle as well. “Well, let’s just be glad, it was me who caused all this.”

A few days later, Julian saw Keiko on the Promenade, wearing a new dress Julian hadn’t seen on her yet. Julian had to smile to himself as he saw it because he’d recognise that particular style in a line-up.

**Author's Note:**

> lmk what you think!


End file.
